@Jessamine: what about those townies who ask for a brass shovel and after you give it to them, as a reward, they give you (wait for it) a brass shovel!? I would think it would be quite easy to make the reward anything except for the thing they asked you for. I know nothing about programming however. Grr.

Also, I wish we could pause the game. At least for short periods. I have a lot of medical issues and some days I just don't feel like coming on to pull weeds, pick up litter, or give people things they could easily have gotten themselves (or even already had).